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The visit by the Broncos to England for the three-game World Club Series this weekend will be the sixth time in their history they have played the Wigan Warriors, with the scales tipping 4-1 in favour of the Red Hill boys.

But apart from their form against Wigan, the overall record of the Broncos in the ‘Old Dart’ is not exactly imposing.

In three actual World Club Challenge matches played in England where the NRL and UK Super League Premiers square off, they have enjoyed just the lone victory - a 22-8 win over Wigan in 1992, the same year the Broncos won their maiden NRL premiership.

Since then, as NRL Premiers, they have suffered successive World Club Challenge defeats at the hands of St Helens. In 2001 they were beaten 20-18 and in 2007 the Saints won 18-14.

The Broncos’ other WCC clash was in 1994 when, as the 1993 Premiers, they hosted Wigan at Brisbane’s ANZ Stadium. And it was Wigan who turned the tables from the 1992 result with an upset 20-14 victory.

Over the years the structure of the World Club Challenge, and its continuity, has been somewhat haphazard.

The concept of the Australian and English premiers playing off against each other for world supremacy was the brainchild of former QRL supremo Ron McAuliffe who, in association with Roosters secretary Ron Jones, enticed St Helens to Australia for two games in 1976 - one against Queensland and one against the NSWRL premiers.

Led by rugby league Immortal Artie Beetson, the star-studded Sydney premiers the Roosters, won 25-2 in front of 26,856 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Beaten in both games, the Poms were obviously unhappy with the scheduling – five weeks after their UK Grand Final - and it was another 11 years before the WCC was played again.

Two and three-year gaps followed between the next three events in 1987, 1989 and 1991. And during the 90s the frequency of matches was again irregular, with only four WCC deciders contested. The Broncos played in three of those four.

From 2000 onwards the event has been a constant, although a significant format change was made last year with the expanded World Club Series concept added.

As well as the respective premiers playing off for global supremacy, the two next best NRL finishers meet their English counterparts in the WCS matches.

The action kicks off tomorrow night (Friday 19 February) when St Helens play NRL Minor Premiers the Roosters, which is in fact the 40th anniversary of the inaugural World Club Challenge involving both teams.

On Saturday night UK time, the losing Grand Finalists the Broncos meet Wigan and the World Club Challenge trophy goes on the line on Sunday when the North Queensland Cowboys play the Leeds Rhinos.

In 1997, the Australian year of Super League, a World Club Championship was contested under a restructured competition which included all 22 clubs from the Australasian and European Super League competitions.

The event was contested over six rounds in both hemispheres mid-season, with the elimination matches and the final not played until October.

The Broncos were victorious in the final, beating the Hunter Mariners 36-12 in Auckland and pocketing $1M in prizemoney.

The win gave the Broncos a clean sweep in the Super League, having also won the Grand Final and the Minor Premiership.

During the pool matches of that World Club Championship, the Broncos scored two big wins over Wigan - a 34-0 result in Brisbane on June 16, followed by a 30-4 win in England a month later.

**This year’s World Club Series match between the Brisbane Broncos and Wigan Warriors will be shown in Australia LIVE on the Nine Network’s Gem Channel from 5:40am (QLD AEST) THIS Sunday morning 21 February.**